Carnival Pride Review

Pride Bahamas; Pretty Darn Good!

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Carnival Pride
User Avatar
KevInPitt
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2014
Cabin: Premium Balcony

Carnival Pride Bahamas October 12-19 2014

Background Information: Myself (47) and spouse (57) taking our second cruise in celebration of 25 years together. Our prior cruise was on the Miracle (a sister ship to the Pride) in 2009.

Embarkation: The four hour drive from Pittsburgh to Baltimore was uneventful and relatively easy. This being the first time sailing from Baltimore, there was a hint of “where do we go, what do we do” jitters upon arrival to the port which I think was compounded by excitement. Once we both took a deep breath, followed the signs, paid attention and listened to those politely directing traffic, we were able to figure it all out easily. If you drive to Baltimore and need to park, you are first directed to the parking lane after being handed a green “Parking” paper to place on your dashboard. You then proceed (slowly, but not agonizingly so) to stop at the baggage porters who will help you unload the bags you wish to check before pulling around to the fee collectors. If paying by credit, you stay to the left. If paying by cash, you stay to the right. The rate is $15 per day payable in full in advance. After finding a “convenient spot”, you saunter over to the cruise terminal. This can be tricky as we arrived around 11:15am and the crowds were in full swing. Pleasant and helpful staff pointed us in the right direction which first involved getting all checked in with a gate agent after going through security. We had Faster to the Fun (FTTF) so we were able to skip the very long line of people waiting and breeze right through. They do screen bags and ask if you have any “naughty stuff” (like alcohol or beverages) which we did. A quick check of our limit of 12 cans of soda, the “shake shake shake” of the 12 bottles of water and on to the next check-in point which is photo op and getting our Sign-and-Sail cards. Again, staff was pleasant and helpful. We were directed to the FTTF seating area which was already half full. All this took approximately 15-20 minutes from parking lot to seat. Actual boarding didn’t start until almost 12:45 and we were the second group on board behind the Diamond/Platinum guests. Not sure of the reason for such late boarding but I suspect there was some delay with the previous cruise. Anxious? Yes. Frustrating? No.

Cabin Review

Premium Balcony

Cabin 9B

We had a Premium Balcony cabin 7299 (Cat 9B) which is what I would call a “mini-suite”. Bigger than a standard balcony cabin but not as big as a suite. We booked this cabin class as on our last Miracle cruise we personally found the standard balcony cabin to be a little tight for our tastes. Even though it is just the two of us and the comparatively little time spent in the cabin, we found the Premium Balcony cabin 7299 to be better than expected. Two closets (one by the door the other by the bathroom) provided more than ample storage with generous hanging space on the right and shelving space on the right in each. There is also a cabinet with three drawers beside the bathroom door which we never even used. The bathroom is the standard compact style of all cabins (except suites, that is). The only “goodies” we had were samples of Breathe-Right strips and sunburn relied ointment. (FYI, the sunburn relief can in handy because I threw all caution to the wind and put on no sunscreen during the trip. Ouch!) There is liquid shampoo and body wash dispensers in the shower; these do the job but recognize they are generic. If you have a strong preference, take the packing plunge and bring travel size versions of your own soap/shampoo. There is a generous console with full mirror backdrop for a dressing area, the safe cabinet and the mini-fridge. Note: leave the door of the cabinet holding the mini-fridge open if you can. I am not sure if it is an old wives tale, but I read somewhere this helps the fridge stay cooler due to the heat generated by the fridge. It was indeed very warm inside the fridge cabinet with the door closed so I just left it open. After removing the standard “mini bar” contents and stocking the soft beverages we brought with us, they seemed to stay nicely chilled. Not cold-cold but cold enough for our tastes without needing ice.Speaking of cold-cold, this cabin was cold. I mean long-sleeve, light coat wearing cold. Now, I am one of those people that prefers it on the cool side and even for me, this room felt cold. The thermostat was dialed all the way to the warm side, but it never really seemed to change until day 5 when it because truly comfortable. We chose not to say anything for fear of any change being made resulting in it being too warm. This was our choice; others may do differently. However, for those who appreciate a cool room (or for those afraid of all those cabin-too-hot reviews), have no fear of this cabin.The bed was firm and, to me, comfortable. I suspect others may find it too hard as it did have an extra-firm feel with not much of a top plush. Suggestion? Lay down the extra comforter stored in a drawer under the couch (if you bed is not set up as two twins) and you’ll get a bit more of a “pillow top” effect.The Premium balcony was much better than our last Extended balcony. There was more than ample room for one fixed-back chair, one reclining-back chair, one full reclining lounger and a small end table. We did spend a fair amount of time (from minutes to hours) enjoying the balcony during the week and for those who like private space, this balcony provides it. Others find it a negative (I don’t) but if you look straight down from the balcony railing, the lifeboats are there. Otherwise, the balcony view is pretty darn amazing.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Carnival Pride Cruise from $639

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.